#alyssa wees

[haveamagicalday]

This has nothing to do with Battle of the Barbies but I've gained over 100 hundred followers from it so I wanted to let everyone know that my older sister is a published author! A paperback version of her first Adult Fantasy novel comes out on March 19th! Of course, you could always snag a hardcover copy if you can't wait ;)

In this haunting, evocative fantasy set in 1930s Chicago, a talented ballerina finds herself torn between her dreams and her desires when she’s pursued by a secretive patron who may be more than he seems. “An utterly unique, lyrical play on the Persephone and Hades myth for fans of Neil Gaiman or Madeline Miller.”—Booklist (starred review)

Her second Adult Fantasy is called We Shall Be Monsters and comes out Oct. 2024! Cover reveal happening soon. And if Adult isn't your thing, her debut novel was a YA Fantasy called The Waking Forest! You can follow my sister on instagram: @alyssa_wees. She also has a tumblr but idk if she wants me to give that out lol

[littlescorpiondreams]

Look how beautiful this is!!!

My characters, Grace and the Master, from my adult fantasy novel, NOCTURNE (2/21, Del Rey Books) painted by @winterofherdiscontent <3 <3

I seriously can't stop staring at this. It's such a wonderful feeling to see my characters outside of my own head! Like, that's them! Right there! In front of my face! They've lived for so long in my imagination and now they're real! I love it so much.

If you are interested in preordering the book (less than a month until the release date!), you can purchase it anywhere books are sold in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. Spanish translation coming soon! And for my American friends, it is on sale at Barnes & Noble. NOCTURNE is a B&N Bookseller Favorite. :) Here is their bookseller note:

Nocturne is a rich, lush fairy-tale reimagining that brings together elements of Beauty & the Beast, Phantom of the Opera and Persephone against the backdrop of the ballet world in Depression-era Chicago. With lyrical prose, romance, mystery and magic, this atmospheric fantasy is an enchanting read that will keep you in suspense till the very end.

I hope you'll consider adding it to your TBR :)

[beckleston]

Nocturne: additional readings on a fantasy novel

Last June, I went to a Taylor Swift themed drag brunch where I met the author of Nocturne. It's a dark book about fantasy and ballet and Chicago - a perfect read for Christmas and Nutcracker season. I read it. I loved it and as I was talking about it to my friends who incidentally were with me at said drag brunch, I said I have so many thoughts I want to write a book report. So I did. And without further ado, since this is the best place for me to share it, below is my essay.

Nocturne by Alyssa Wees

The reader is introduced to the main character, Grace Dragotta, who is initially characterized as a grieving orphan struggling through the Great Depression finding solace in achieving her dream of becoming a magnificent ballet dancer.  Early on in the story we meet other characters firmly lodged in this world, a time of poverty, hunger and tragic death. These characters who have also experienced the tragedy of illness and death respond in particular manners. Grace’s reaction is different and drives her story forward, she is motivated solely by her response to the death of her loved ones and how the experience of those deaths affected her.  As the story progresses,  the audience learns more of Grace’s backstory, and we find that she is not just grief stricken but death touched.

We follow Grace into a magical world of the gods of death and sleep, brothers locked in an immortal battle. She departs our everyday world and steps into a fantasy, a world where magic is real and she must learn of herself and her power. You can read Grace’s story solely as her adventure in this magical world, in that reading she keeps company with countless other fantasy protagonists – Feyre, Bella Swan, Clara Stahlbaum and so many others.

However, I would argue for an alternative reading of the book. Grace’s story is not, in actuality, a magical adventure but a metaphor for her reaction to the trauma she's experienced, her depression, her descent into drugs, the toll it takes on her and her eventual conquering of her personal demons. An equally compelling alternative reading is that this is not a magical story but a story of the veneer Grace herself affixes to an abusive relationship. 

The deaths of Grace's mother and brother are the final icing on the cake of an already challenging life set in the aftermath of World War I and the Great Depression, the driving forces which ultimately are too much to bear and send her spiraling. 

Grace’s day to day existence in the early parts of the story are straightforward – she lives with several other young women in a boarding house solely for the members of the corps of the Near North ballet. We see her early interactions as something of a baseline – days of training and rehearsals, evenings of communal dinners, Sunday church visits and weekend outings with friends. As her story progresses, all of these activities are affected by her magical adventure/descent into the grip of addiction and depression. We see her feel more and more isolated from her peers, flounder in her performance at the ballet and lose touch with her close friend Emilia.

Master La Rosa, the god of Death, and Mr. Russo, his brother, the god of Sleep are the personification of Grace’s addiction and depression. The first time Grace and the reader meet Master La Rosa, he has claws, is shrouded in darkness and appears incredibly dangerous. As Grace falls under his spell, read falls victim to the addiction, he becomes, in her portrayal, a welcome respite and not the monstrous creature she first feared. She spends her days at the ballet studio craving interactions with him and eventually begs him for more and more time together.  Mr. Russo’s smiles seem kind at first and as her descent progresses, he seems more sinister and yet at one point Grace sees his wicked smile and reasons with herself that it cannot be as he was once so kind. She refuses to believe his ill intentions, refuses to believe the negative effects of her actions despite her own personal observations of her altered life. 

Grace travels to the temple with La Rosa, dances with him and for him. These episodes can be clearly read as a person in the throes of a dangerous high. Russo lulling her to sleep and stealing large snatches of her conscious time are equally clear, blackouts and long moments lost to the effects of addiction or the comedown.

As Grace fights her way through her story, she meets another young woman who the brothers battle over and has very clearly suffered through the same addiction as Grace. Unlike Grace, this other young woman lost her battle; she is the cautionary tale. Here we have the turning point, Grace sees how her grasp of those things she's held dear - memories of her mother, violin lessons, her friendship/sisterhood with Emilia and she chooses to fight for them. She wrenches back control and reaches out to Emilia for help. The story ends with Grace choosing to conquer her own demons, taking back the crown and declaring she decides now, she makes her choices - not these gods, not this drug, not this darkness. 

Once I started seeing a parallel story, I found it hard to stop. Little effort is required to peel back the layers of fantasy draping this story to unearth an additional retelling: the sordid tale of an abusive relationship - a lonesome girl, isolated and struggling who falls prey to the promise of something more.  

Grace, orphaned, alone and seemingly abandoned by her only friend, is an easy victim. She longs to feel connected, to be special,  and in this she is no different than countless others. Master La Rosa preys upon her isolation, her sorrow and her desire for acclaim. He quite literally locks her away somewhere her friend cannot follow. He allows her access to the outside world only on his terms. He demands behaviors from Grace which are outlandish. Even when her friend reaches out and when she herself looks for escape, he stymies her. 

In the ending to this alternative reading, we again see her choose herself, choose control over her own destiny. 

Ultimately, there is no one correct way to read this story or any story. Grace's journey is classic - a struggle, a journey, self-reliance and ultimately, a deeper understanding of herself and the world around her. 

[sagewraith]

I had refused even to think of it, as if my own hope was a monster that would turn me to stone if I slipped and looked it directly in the eye.

Nocturne, Alyssa Wees.

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Nocturne by Alyssa Wees

Author: Alyssa WeesPublisher: Del Rey BookReleased: February 21, 2023Received: NetGalley Book Summary: Grace Dragotta has always wanted to be a ballerina. That isn’t all that uncommon of a dream, all things considered. While most of us move on to different dreams, Grace chased the one she had, which took her straight to the Near North Ballet Company. When the Great Depression hits, Grace is…

[pipperoni32-blog]

Nocturne

By Alyssa Wees - 5 Stars

This was so much more than I thought it would be. I struggled to fall asleep thinking of this after it finished, and it was the first thing I thought about the next morning.

Hauntingly beautiful, orphaned Grace finds herself living in a sort of void, things never seeming quite as they should. She lives to dance - it's the one time when she really feels alive, when things are as they should be. When her best friend and the current prima of their dance company, Emelia, announces that she's leaving to get married, Grace is hoping but still surprised to find that she's selected as the next prima. It's not until the first showing of the ballet that Grace learns she's been handpicked as the next prima by a mysterious sponsor, Master La Rosa. Nor until the last showing that she's told he's paid enough that she's now going to live with him, eat his food and wear clothes provided by him, and dance one waltz with him every Sunday. She'll still be allowed to dance with their company during the week, but everything else is changing.

Convinced by now that her patron is something more, something monstrous, Grace tries to run. It's hopeless though, and she soon agrees to go without a fight. La Rosa's assistant, Mr. Russo, says that he'll answer her questions when they arrive at the mansion. He's not as forthcoming as he suggests though, and Grace finds herself with even more questions.

At times, I had to read aloud. To bring the words even more to life, and to slow myself from devouring it even faster. It may have been the speed at which I read, or some part of the writing, but at times things could get kind of muddled, a little too dreamlike. In a fairytale though, is it the storyteller's job or the reader's to keep themselves from being too swept away?

Told in 3 parts, I was drawn in by the end of Part One. That was also the point where I was texting friends that it wasn't out yet, but as soon as it was, they needed to pick up Nocturne right away!

[oracleofmadness]

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!

This is a gorgeous fairytale!! This stole me away from reality and gave me a dark, wandering and enchanting tale to rest in.

Grace has not had an easy life. She is living in Chicago around the 1930's.

Orphaned by age 13, she finds herself at a local ballet school. Now, at age 20, she is finally offered the position of prima ballerina. However, as is often warned in fairytales, all things come with a price.

Grace finds out she has a very rich and mysterious sponsor. So, naturally, she does everything in her power to find out who he is. When she finally does she is shocked at what she finds. No mere man, but death himself. And, Grace finds herself trapped between reality and illusion.

This was an entrancing read. I loved the dreamlike quality of the author's writing style. Especially because this only added to the natural surreal quality of the story.

Out February 21, 2023!

[twochaptersahead]

Book provided for free by NetGalley

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 - This was a unique dark fairy tale and I overall enjoyed it. I felt like the middle dragged on a bit and the ending was abrupt, leaving me wanting more. Despite the this being a dark fairy tale it highlighted many deeper themes. Also had some great quotes. "I suppose every monster is real for someone somewhere".

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy, all thoughts are my own.

[thecosmiccircus]

Book Review: 'We Shall Be Monsters' by Alyssa Wees

We Shall Be Monsters by Alyssa Wees is set in rural Michigan, and weaves a fairy tale that questions just what makes a monster, and what makes a hero. Gemma’s mama has been trying to break a curse for all of Gemma’s life. Gemma doesn’t really know the details because her mother has been trying to hide it from her. But she knows that her mama must find a mirror that reflects your true self.…

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Nocturne | Author: Alyssa Wees | Publisher: Del Rey (023)

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: Nocturne

Author: Alyssa Wees

Series or standalone: standalone

Publication year: 2023

Genres: fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, retelling, romance

Blurb: Growing up in Chicago's Little Sicily in the years following the Great War, Grace Dragotta has always wanted to be a ballerina, ever since she first peered through the windows of the Near North Ballet Company...so when Grace is orphaned, she chooses the ballet as her home, imagining herself forever ensconced in a transcendent world of light and beauty so different from her poor immigrant upbringing. Years later, with the Great Depression in full swing, Grace has become the company's new prima ballerina, though achieving her long-held dream is not the triumph she once envisioned. Time and familiarity have tarnished that shining vision, and her new position means the loss of her best friend in the world. When she attracts the attention of the enigmatic Master La Rosa as her personal patron, she realises the world is not as small or constricted as she had come to fear. As Grace begins to unlock the master's secrets, she discovers that there is beauty in darkness as well as light, finds that true friendship cannot be broken by time or distance, and realises there may be another way entirely to achieve the transcendence she has always sought.

[haveamagicalday]

My top ten reads of 2022

10. Into the Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer

This is a unique retelling of The Little Mermaid. Here the mermaids are switched out with deadly forest sirens who harvest the soul’s of those they lure into the witch’s wood. Owen lives at the edge of the wood and one day he is shockingly saved by one of the sirens instead of killed by her. Owen and the siren grow close as an enchanted war threatens to boil over. I really enjoyed this dark fairy tale and loved the forest sirens lore.

9. Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison

After surviving an attack by a strange creature, Rory finds herself transforming in a frightening way and what follows is a journey of self discovery. This comedically dark love story is full of fun werewolf goodness!

8. House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

Marion lives in a world where the wealthy consume human blood. In order to do so, they employ bloodmaids, esteemed servants who are treated with respect and given a hefty sum after their service ends. Marion jumps at the chance to become a bloodmaid for the House of Hunger and finds herself entranced with her employer, the beautiful countess Lisavet. But something sinister is happening within the house and Marion may be in danger. Creepy and gothic, this book was a perfect halloween read. I also thought it was interesting that Henderson didn’t go down the vampire route but created a strange world with another motive for drinking blood.

7. The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

Sager has quickly become one of my favorite thriller authors. This book starts off with a tired trope; a widowed woman copes by drinking and secluding herself in her family’s lake house. Casey spends her days spying on her neighbors through binoculars. The couple across the lake seems perfect until Casey sees something she thinks she shouldn’t and shortly after, the wife vanishes. We’ve seen this before but Sager flips things upside down and takes it in a direction that hasn’t been seen before. It almost seems like he was trying to parody the trope in a way but it is not goofy or anything. This book was thrilling and fun with plenty of twists.

6. A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

When Chloe was 12, girls started disappearing in her town and her father was arrested for it. Now an adult, Chloe works as a therapist and engaged to a wonderful man. Finally Chloe feels as if she has moved on from her past but then girls around her start to disappear again. This was a solid debut novel with a pretty surprising twist at the end.

5. Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

Friends is my favorite show and Chandler my favorite character so I was stoked when this book was announced. Of course, Friends is not the focus of this book, Matthew’s history of addiction is. I’ve always admired his honesty when talking about his addiction in the past but wow was I not prepared for how much he went, and continues, to go through. Matthew is still in recovery for his addiction. He almost died in 2021 and started writing shortly after. This is not a look back on addiction and his triumphant recovery. This book IS his recovery. You can feel it through his words. This book was painful and bleak but also hopeful with a dry sense of humor sprinkled throughout. 

4. When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O��Neill 

This book is not for everybody but it was for me! This book follows the life of two friends, spoiled Marie and devilish Sadie, during the late 1800s. While Marie grows to inherit her father’s sugar empire, Sadie disappears into the gritty underworld of Montreal and within the working class a revolution is brewing. This is written with a strange whimsy that makes some of the darker aspects in it feel dreamlike. TW: Rape 

3. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy

I’m the same age as Jeanette and was in high school when icarly first aired. I never considered myself a fan but looking back, I watched a lot of it and it was a genuinely funny show. McCurdy’s memoir is a honest, funny but also heartbreaking look into the world of a child actor that never wanted to be one. What she went through was horrible and her ability to write this book with such wit and grace is incredible. She’s a very talented writer and I’m glad she finally got to tell her story and pursue what I think is her real passion: writing,

2. Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid

This was marketed as a Juniper Tree retelling but it really has nothing to do with the fairy tale. Marlinchen and her two older sisters live with their wizard father in a world where magic is a thing of the past as industry booms. As witches, the three sisters are used as a tourist trap to earn money. They are rarely allowed to leave their home and one night they sneak out to the ballet and Marlinchen falls in love with the talented leading hero. Marlinchen continues to disobey her father as dead bodies around town suddenly start to turn up. This book was eerie and wholly original. It was dark but in some of the best ways. TW: Gore and Sexual Assault

1. Nocturne by Alyssa Wees

This book as being marketed as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, I think it needs to be looked at as its own story. I'd say it's more of a Beauty and the Beast inspired story than a true retelling. The writing style is gorgeous. The imagery it conjures is both dreamlike and haunting. Our main character Grace has lived a tragic but fascinating life. The flashbacks of a childhood during the Great Depression mixed into a strange fairytale setting was one of my favorite aspects of the book. The combination of fantasy and historical is always a genre I like and I thought this was very well done. As for the plot, I don't want to give too much away but one thing that really resonating with me was the theme of death throughout. It comes up in many different and unsuspecting ways. I can't say too much but the outlook on death was a refreshing one that we don't see to often in media and it really made me think about life and morality. This book is for readers who enjoy dark fantasies and enchanting prose. And for any ballerinas out there as well!

[littlescorpiondreams]

“The girl’s village was at the edge of a dark wood where a beast killed anyone who crossed its path. Over a weary age of a thousand years, soldiers and kings alike had tried and failed to slay it, but all who plunged between those accursed trees perished in the pursuit. Without hesitation she walked into those woods and sang for the beast, but he did not fall asleep. He bowed his great horned head and turned back into the prince he had been, so long ago now that he couldn’t remember his name. Strong and shining he stood before her, and the beast was vanquished once and forevermore.

I wished I had a power like that.”

from NOCTURNE by Alyssa Wees 🖤

[somanybookssolittletime1]

May Book Wrap Up

~~~ Good Morning, bookish lovelies! 📚 These are the books I read/am currently reading. I feel like I read so much more than I did. This month felt like it flew by so fast, it feels like yesterday I started reading the first book in the Tasting Maddnes series by Albany Walker. I feel like I didn’t get to read everything I wanted to. I have so many books I really want to read, and my TBR keeps…

[aliteraryprincess]

Nocturne by Alyssa Wees

My Rating: 4 stars Many thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC. This book was released on February 21 2023 and is now available for purchase. I went into Nocturne expecting a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera. There are aspects of that story, and there are also aspects of “Beauty and the Beast” and “Death and the Maiden.” However, Wees has created an entirely unique story that…

[libraryofandrasta]